Obama vs. the other guy, 2008

Bob Kerrey Needs to STFU

Could their be a guy who consistently does damage to Democratic hopes as often as Bob Kerrey? Well, today he comes up with not one, but two big doozies. In Politico’s “Seven Worrisome Signs for Barack Obama,” Kerrey, of “I’m supporting Hillary but love that Barack’s middle name is Hussein” fame, does enough to banished from Democratic parties forever. First:

“John McCain is a known quantity,” says Bob Kerrey, who thinks Obama will ultimately prevail. “You don’t look at John and say, ‘Who the heck is he?’ he’s a veteran, he’s a guy who got pretty banged up in Vietnam. He can deal with crisis. There’s some uncertainty about Senator Obama.”

Every single horrible, damaging, conventional-wisdom media crap frame about McCain reinforced by…a Democrat? I plan on writing more in the coming days on the notion of McCain as a “known quantity,” the most damaging single frame of this election thus far (sneak preview: take a poll on the street and see how few people know that McCain was divorced, has 8 homes, and was involved in an S&L scandal in the 80s). So, no Bob, McCain isn’t a known quantity.

But what’s his justification for supporting that frame? He was “banged up” in Vietnam – which not only makes him a known quantity, but makes him tested in a crisis. Okay, thanks, done, that’s all we need to know. McCain is someone we can completely trust in a crisis not to be impulsive, war-mongering, or unstable, okay Bob. But it’s Obama that we’re uncertain about.

Think that’s bad enough? In the last “worrisome sign” – a sense that Americans want divided government and may worry about handing over the Congress & White House to Democrats (a totally bogus argument upon which I’ve seen NO evidence that it exists anywhere outside the minds of Beltway reporters), Bob drops this one:

“The country’s still pretty divided… people may want a divided government. They want change but I’m not sure that the Democratic agenda has the support of a majority of Americans.”

Have you read a single poll lately yet?! The Democratic agenda doesn’t just have the support of a majority of Americans, but the VAST majority of Americans. And Bob, show me some tangible evidence that people may “want a divided government.” You say it, but is there any reason to believe it?

I’m reminded of that scene in “Knocked Up” in which Seth Rogen finally tells off Katherine Heigl’s sister at the end so that he can handle the birth without her. His sentence was essentially exactly what I want to say to Bob Kerrey:

Good points, Greg, but let’s be honest, no one really takes Harold Ford that seriously as a “senior statesman” for the Democratic Party. Ed Rendell is like the drunk uncle you like to have over because he says funny things. And Lanny Davis is…well…he’s Lanny Davis.

But Kerrey actually ran for President and has been considered in some circles to be a “serious” guy.

But, he adds to the “not Bush” narrative. He can serve as a symbol of what could’ve been and what could be now. Plus, he has great foreign policy experience and can come up against McCain’s “hero” narrative.

Suzie – gotta disagree. We saw what was done with that “hero” status. In 2004 the GOP successfully whipped out the anger of millions of people and convinced them to hate the “flip-flopping, lying about Vietnam” John Kerry. We don’t need that baggage (no matter how unfair it is) on the ticket.

About Strategy ’08

Strategy ’08 is a new blog dedicated to covering issues surrounding the 2008 Presidential Campaign between Barack Obama and John McCain. Authors are long-time bloggers and unabashed Barack Obama supporters dansac, slinkerwink, turneresq, zenbowl, smash artist and gdh1 who often post on DailyKos and elsewhere.